Im playing around with some cuttings now too. There is a HUGE fig tree in the middle of town, its just MONSTROUS (Ill have to get you figgers some pictures)! I took a couple small branches of it last week & am starting to root them the normal way in pot with potting mix. My thinking is that huge magnificent tree will surly be cut to the ground soon with all the development going on. So I wanted to preserve it before that happens & took small sample. I had 1 good size branch leftover so I put it in a small container outdoor pond that has full sun so the water stay very warm. Well its starting to get tiny roots. The branch just floats on top of the water its not submerged completely so maybe it wont get water logged? I didnt expect it to live & it still very well should die. Ill never know if I done try or if I dont ask .... right :) I think Ill just keep an eye on it daily (while playing in my garden) & see what happens.... If it did work lol, how easy would that be!

I wonder what the active ingredient of the Miracle-Grow
premium potting soil marketed with a big phrase with a
'Miostute Control' feature is ...

to quote: http://www.scottssti.com/en/08_resources/fact_sheet/M-GroMoistureControlPottingMix06.pdf

"
This product is formulated from sphagnum peat moss, forest products compost, coir pith fiber, perlite, a wetting agent and fertilizer (see below).

In Georgia, this product is formulated from 50-60% sphagnum peat moss, forest products compost, coir pith fiber, perlite, a wetting agent and fertilizer
"

I'd be willing to bet a weeks worth of lunches that that "wetting agent" is some of those super-absorbant polymer crystals.

So, near as I can tell, the only thing different between what I blend up at home is that I use Black-Kow composted manure and used coffee grounds, and don't use any coir.

BTW sandsquid,
A good experiment! And I would have loved to participate;
but it is just a little too late for me; today
(after holding - or ever), I just potted-up 'them-last'
fig cuttings out of 'she/him' fridge!

Correction:
What the heck was I talking about? My mistake!
After some time in the fridge, these cuttings
were put in a garbage bag along with some moist
newspapers. Looking at the mixed behavior of
nothing(?)/roting(bad)/rooting(good),
I felt that I had to act just now, and pot.

i'[ve used water crystals in my poting mixes for years now

They seem to work well with figs (among other plants)

Never tried rooting with them.

~Chills

gorgi says;
> but it is just a little too late for me

It's OK to use them NEXT season.... in fact that is kinda what I was aiming for, distribution over the next month or three to have ready for dormant cuttings.

Of course they may be just the thing for green cuttings as well. who knows? anybody want to try?

chills said;
>Never tried rooting with them.

I've tried using ONLY crystals to root, and it was a dismal failure. Kept the cuttings too wet and they rotted.

sandsquid,

Speaking or myself, thanks for the hint, I may (most
probably) or may not (due to negligence), try this
on my own next year.

Note:
My putting the fig cuttings in the garbage bag, was a
result from Jon's experiment (mishap?).
A big difference may be that his were
one-kind-fig-from-the-tree-to-the-bag
while mine were
different (mostly UCD)figs-from-fridge-to-bag.
Overall, MUCH, much less work, and results look somewhat promising...